CategoriesAdvocacy Country Profile

After implementing one-man rule, Tunisia’s president purges judges.

On Wednesday, Tunisia’s president fired 57 judges, accusing them of corruption and harboring terrorists in a purge of the court that comes as he strives to rebuild the political system after solidifying one-man rule. President Kais Saied stated in a televised address that he has “offered opportunity after opportunity and warning after warning to the […]

CategoriesAdvocacy Statements

The Buffalo shooting demonstrates that deadly racist extremism is fostered online

A mass shooter indoctrinated into bigotry and antisemitism on the internet committed another act of domestic terrorism yesterday at a Buffalo market. This brutal hate crime, which left 10 people dead and three injured, is just another illustration of how networks of racial fanatics influence one other, encouraging murder and domestic terrorism. Hate-based communities on […]

CategoriesAdvocacy Statements

WCHR calls for a transparent investigation into the killing of journalist Abu Akleh in the West Bank.

Israeli and Palestinian authorities must undertake an early, thorough, and open inquiry into the assassination of Al-Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in the West Bank today. According to an Al-Jazeera report, a video of the aftermath of the shooting posted on Twitter by Al-Jazeera, and multiple news outlets, Abu Akleh, a prominent Palestinian-American correspondent for […]

CategoriesAdvocacy

The serious consequences of Western collaboration with corrupt Arab autocrats

Western governments are implicated in supporting, and thereby strengthening, autocracies across the Arab World in a variety of legal and illegal ways. Over the last three decades, similar strategies have been pursued toward Russia, increasing President Vladimir Putin’s riches and power, culminating in his megalomaniacal invasion of Ukraine. Complicity policies toward authoritarian countries in the […]

CategoriesAdvocacy Statements

Open letter to Biden administration to suspend military assistance to Tunisia

At a time when democracy is under attack all across the world, American politicians should be concerned about the assault on Tunisia’s democratic institutions. The Biden administration should do a lot more to send a message to President Saied that international recognition and help would be conditional on democratic conduct. The United States and its […]

CategoriesStatements

Scrutiny of secret sanctions relief for allegedly corrupt billionaires.

Three anti-corruption organizations encouraged the internal watchdogs of the US Treasury and State Departments to examine the US government’s improper move to essentially ease sanctions on billionaire businessman Dan Gertler right before the change of US administrations. Mr. Gertler was sanctioned by the Trump administration in 2017 under the Global Magnitsky Act for his alleged […]

CategoriesStatements

WCHR’s statement on jailing asylum-seekers under Biden’s administration.

Asylum-Seekers are being locked up as a result of policies implemented by the Biden administration, and human rights are being violated. The first records show that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has detained tens of thousands of asylum seekers in jails, where they face long detentions, severe physical and psychological suffering, medical negligence, discrimination, […]

CategoriesStatements

WCHR welcomes steps to protect Ukrainians, urges similar steps to protect Afghans.

While Washington Center for Human Rights applauds rumors of a special parole program for Ukrainians fleeing Russian aggression, the center urges the Biden administration to undertake similar humanitarian protection efforts for Afghans and others across the world facing human rights violations and persecution. The establishment of a Ukrainian special parole program to welcome Ukrainians escaping […]

CategoriesBriefs

Human rights concept must be decolonized

Human rights standards, frameworks, and discourses are always changing. It is critical that they adapt in order to respond to new and emerging concerns and dangers, as well as to confront entrenched but sometimes invisible power, discrimination, and privilege. This progress may be seen in how human rights norms and processes are being utilized and […]

CategoriesAdvocacy Country Profile Statements

Stop human rights violations against human rights defenders in KSA

The situation in Saudi Arabia has deteriorated since the previous UN Human Rights Council joint statement on human rights in September 2020. Although a number of prominent women human rights campaigners and political prisoners were conditionally freed, they remain subject to harsh restrictions, implying that they are not yet free. According to ALQST for Human […]

CategoriesAdvocacy Statements

 Human Rights Council must develop a mechanism to ensure accountability for grave abuses in Nicaragua.

In March 2021, the Human Rights Council voted Resolution 46/2, which strengthened the High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet’s monitoring mandate on the human rights situation in Nicaragua. On March 7, Bachelet delivered to the Council her Office’s (the OHCHR) written report, in which she concludes to a ‘pattern of egregious abuses of civil […]

CategoriesAdvocacy Statements

The General Assembly must immediately terminate Russia’s membership in the Human Rights Council.

The General Assembly has required that members of the Human Rights Council respect human rights and has created criteria and a mechanism to protect the Council. The Human Rights Council is made up of 47 member states chosen by the UN General Assembly’s 193 members. Members of the HRC are obligated by UN General Assembly […]

CategoriesTopics Country Profile

What is the severity of Ukraine’s humanitarian crisis?

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has resulted in the worst humanitarian disaster Europe has seen in decades. With hundreds of thousands of people fleeing the escalating crisis, neighboring nations and international organizations are joining together to denounce Russia’s aggression and give assistance to the growing number of refugees. According to the UN refugee agency, 10 million […]

CategoriesAdvocacy Country Profile Statements

WCHR calls on attention to egregious and systemic human rights violations in China

In addition to focusing on Russia’s war in Ukraine, the 49th session of the Human Rights Council began with severe concerns raised about China’s human rights problems. High-level officials from France, New Zealand, and the United States have encouraged UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet to disclose her Office’s report on the Uyghur […]

CategoriesAdvocacy

WCHR Applauds Ukraine’s Temporary Protected Status Designation

Washington Center for Human Rights applauds the Biden Administration’s designation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Ukrainian nationals and reiterates requests for TPS for people of Cameroon, Mauritania, and other non-European nations. Human rights and immigrant rights organizations have frequently sought for TPS designations for various African, Central American, and Asian countries that fit the […]

CategoriesStatements

WCHR’s statement on Russia’s new Media law

Global news organizations claimed they were stopping reporting in Russia to safeguard their journalists following the introduction of a new law that threatens up to 15 years in prison for distributing “fake news.” The BBC said that it had temporarily discontinued reporting in Russia, and Canadian Broadcasting Company and Bloomberg News had also announced that […]

WCHR’S STATEMENT ON RUSSIA’S MILITARY INVASION OF UKRAINE

The Washington Center for Human Rights firmly condemns Russia’s premeditated and unprovoked military invasion into Ukraine.We strongly condemn Russian violence in Ukraine, as well as Russia’s violation of Ukrainian sovereignty. Many intelligence officers have been predicting this scenario for months, and it is now unfolding in real time. While Russia has a history of aggression […]

CategoriesAdvocacy Statements

Statement from the Washington Center for Human Rights in Support of Cameroon Obtaining Temporary Protected Status

In view of the current humanitarian crises and violent conflicts in Cameroon, Washington Center for Human Rights encourages President Biden and DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to grant Cameroon Temporary Protected Status (TPS). If compelled to return to their home country, an estimated 40,000 Cameroonians living in the United States face horrific violence, displacement, and death. […]

CategoriesAdvocacy Statements

Biden must halt the increase of monitoring and abolish the whole immigration detention system.

The Biden administration is contemplating an extended home detention and curfew pilot program for immigrants seeking asylum or other protection in U.S. immigration courts, according to Axios.  National Immigration Project (NIPNLG), National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC), Detention Watch Network, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, Black Alliance […]

CategoriesAdvocacy

Veterans and allies call on Congress to protect Afghan refugees six months after the fall of Kabul

On the eve of the six-month anniversary of the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, a coalition of military veterans and Afghan friends urged Congress to act immediately to help refugees by approving the Afghan Adjustment Act. The gathering, organized by the Evacuate Our Allies alliance, gathered on Capitol Hill to urge the Biden administration to guarantee […]

CategoriesStatements

WCHR: Indian government should work hand in hand civil society organizations to protect freedom of expression

Human Rights Watch said today that Indian authorities are using politically motivated claims of tax evasion and financial irregularities to suppress human rights activists, journalists, and other opponents of the government. Authorities monetary officers raided journalists’ residences, news offices, an actor’s premises, and the home and office of a human rights activist in September 2021 […]

CategoriesAdvocacy

WCHR: International community must increase pressure on al-Sisi to end death sentences

Amnesty International said today, on the eve of the eighth anniversary of the massacre, that the Egyptian authorities have failed to hold a single member of security forces accountable for the deaths of at least 900 people during the violent dispersal of sit-ins in Rabaa al-Adawiya and al-Nahda squares. Twelve individuals are facing execution, and […]

CategoriesAdvocacy Statements

WCHR: In danger Afghan civilians require evacuation and protection

Afghans who are at risk of being persecuted by advancing Taliban troops require immediate evacuation and international protection. Foreign countries should make obtaining visas and assisting in the safe transit of civilians who may be targeted for abuse by the Taliban due to their former employment or status, as well as their close family members, […]

CategoriesStatements

WCHR: Iranian authorities should immediately put an end to the human rights violations

According to Amnesty International, Iranian security forces used unlawful force, including mass arrests, to mercilessly suppress mostly peaceful rallies that erupted across the country in recent weeks. Activists, protestors, and onlookers, including children, have been subjected to enforced disappearance, torture, and other ill-treatment as a result of the surge of arrests. Security personnel unlawfully fired […]

CategoriesAdvocacy

WCHR: Russia should allow people to exercise their right to protest

Authorities in Russia have degraded the right to freedom of peaceful assembly by employing increasingly restrictive regulations, heavy-handed police methods, and criminal prosecutions to stifle peaceful opposition, Amnesty International said today in a new briefing. The group examines how the crackdown on peaceful protests, which began with the Federal Law on Assemblies in 2004, has […]

CategoriesAdvocacy Statements

WCHR: Violations of humans rights in Nigeria must come to an end

In response to the spiralling violence in Southeast Nigeria, security forces have committed a slew of human rights violations and crimes under international law, waging a repressive campaign that has included sweeping mass arrests, excessive and unlawful force, torture, and other ill-treatment since January. The armed group known as the Eastern Security Network (ESN), the […]

CategoriesAdvocacy Statements

WCHR: Blinken’s visit to KSA should result in better human rights record in KSA

On Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken talked with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, repeating a plea for human rights progress. Blinken and the Saudi minister discussed regional security, the attack last month on the tanker Mercer Street in the Arabian Sea, which Washington blames on Iran, and other regional matters, […]

CategoriesStatements Advocacy

WCHR: Russian’s crackdown on free speech and human rights unlawful

With the parliamentary elections in Russia scheduled for September 19, every day brings new stories of arbitrary arrests, interrogations, and other attacks on critical voices. The Kremlin’s war on free expression claimed three fresh lives lately. After Roskomnadzor, the government’s communications regulatory organization, suspended their websites, independent news groups MBKh-Media, Open Media, and Open Rights […]

CategoriesStatements

WCHR: Sri Lanka should enhance their human rights compliance

Human Rights Watch said today that Sri Lankan police are increasingly killing and abusing people under the pretext of Covid-19 pandemic efforts and an anti-drug campaign. Extrajudicial killings, torture, and arbitrary incarceration have all been documented in the media recently. The government should re-establish independent police oversight and investigate and prosecute allegations of police misconduct. […]

CategoriesAdvocacy

Blinken accuses Nicaragua’s Ortega of taking undemocratic, authoritarian actions

After authorities arrested another opposing lawmaker ahead of elections later this year, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega of pursuing additional undemocratic, dictatorial acts. Blinken claimed in a statement on Saturday that Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, were trying to keep power “at all costs” by disqualifying […]

CategoriesStatements

WCHR: US administration should take concrete steps against Taliban’s human rights violations

According to Human Rights Watch, Taliban militants advancing in Ghazni, Kandahar, and other Afghan provinces have summarily killed captured soldiers, police officers, and civilians with alleged connections to the Afghan government. Taliban forces have allegedly identified individuals who served with the Afghan National Security Forces in places they invade, according to locals from several districts. […]

CategoriesAdvocacy

WCHR: Deterioration of human rights in Nicaragua is worrying

As the presidential election in November approaches, President Daniel Ortega’s regime has increased harassment and indictments against government critics. The legislature passed a bill in October mandating businesses and individuals who accept financing from outside the country to register as foreign agents. The law prohibits such foreign agents from meddling in internal or external political […]

CategoriesStatements

WCHR: US must interfere to stop human rights violations in Cameroon

Since the beginning of the Anglophone conflict in late 2016, government troops have routinely violated human rights during security operations against armed separatists trying to establish an independent Anglophone state known as Ambazonia. “New abuses in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions by both government security forces and armed separatists highlight the urgent need to protect communities at […]

CategoriesStatements

WCHR: US should consider sanctions in response to the systemic human rights violations in Philippines

Eleven Democratic senators have asked  Joe Biden’s administration to denounce the alleged continued pattern of human rights breaches under the Duterte government at the highest levels. Senators voiced concerns about the human rights situation in the Philippines in a letter dated July 26 sent to US State Secretary Antony Blinken, and asked a number of […]

CategoriesAdvocacy

An open letter to Biden’s administration on the human rights violations in Belarus

Following Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s controversial re-election on August 9, Belarusian security forces unjustly imprisoned thousands of people and subjected hundreds to torture and other forms of ill-treatment in an attempt to thwart the demonstrations. The abuse, on the other hand, simply helped to inflame public resentment as thousands of people continued to march peacefully in support […]

CategoriesAdvocacy

Iraqi authorities should bring justice to human rights victims

The use of torture and forced confessions is widespread in Iraq’s criminal justice system, and authorities carry out countless judicial executions despite major due process abuses. Authorities employed a variety of defamation and incitement provisions in Iraqi legislation to silence dissidents, including journalists, activists, and protestors. Students who were kept out of school for months […]

CategoriesAdvocacy

Petition: UAE must stop the appalling human rights atrocities

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) government continues to invest in  strategy with the goal of portraying the country as liberal, tolerant, and rights-respecting. Yet, with the prolonged  imprisonment of major human rights defender Ahmed Mansour, academic Nasser bin Ghaith, and other activists and dissidents, the country’s extreme intolerance of criticism was on full display. Some […]